Although Costa Rica celebrates its Independence Day on September 15th, along with the rest of the Central American countries, a historical perspective suggests that the commemoration should be on October 29th, the date on which the colonial authorities finally accepted the declaration in 1821.
Very seriously
Cartago, which was then the capital of Costa Rica, takes this interpretation very seriously, to the point of holding special celebrations for the occasion. It has even become customary for the date to be declared a holiday in Cartago, and 2025 will be no exception.
Decree 44.641-MGP, signed by the Government at the request of the Municipality of Cartago, recognizes that Wednesday, October 29th, will be a holiday in the central canton of the province. Holiday decrees are directly linked to the state apparatus and public entities.
Exemptions
According to the law, in cases such as educational institutions, the Ministry itself will dictate the rules for how the day off will be applied. On the other hand, for security reasons, police forces are excluded from the holiday. The same applies in Cartago for the holiday for emergency services, intensive care, clinical laboratory tests, surgeries, and health supervision.
